Miami Marlins rained out for first time this season, will play doubleheader Saturday

A tarp covers the infield of Citizens Bank Park as rain delays the start of a game between Phillies and Chicago on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015 in Philadelphia.
Matt Slocum
AP

PHILADELPHIA

The Marlins almost made it.

With only three games to go, they were about to make it through an entire season without a postponement for the first time in team history. Alas, Mother Nature had other ideas.

Friday night’s game against the Phillies was postponed because of rain. The teams will now meet Saturday in a doubleheader — weather permitting — before closing out the season Sunday at Citizens Bank Park.

Tom Koehler will start for the Marlins in the opener of the true doubleheader, which starts at 4:05 p.m., with Justin Nicolino going in the nightcap.

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Sources: Phillies interviewed Beinfest

According to major-league sources, former Marlins front office executive Larry Beinfest interviewed for the Phillies’ general manager job.

Beinfest, who was fired as the Marlins’ president of baseball operations at the end of the 2013 season, said in a recent interview with the Miami Herald that he was looking to return to a front-office position.

The Phillies fired their general manager, Ruben Amaro Jr., last month.

Stanton inquiries

Did the Marlins ever consider trading Giancarlo Stanton? According to an ESPN.com report, they did.

The report, which was based on information gathered from unnamed sources, said the Marlins once asked the Boston Red Sox to include shortstop Xander Bogaerts in any trade involving Stanton. The report went on to mention that Baltimore also had conversations with the Marlins about Stanton but balked at demands that third baseman Manny Machado be included in the return.

The report said discussions never gained traction, and the Marlins eventually signed Stanton to a 13-year, $325 million contract extension.

Weak on walks

The Marlins have drawn the fewest bases on balls in the National League and were only one walk in front of the Royals in the major-league rankings going into Friday.

Not having Stanton, who draws his share of walks, in the lineup for half the season hasn’t helped. But Marlins manager Dan Jennings attributed the problem to youth.

“I think it’s something that’s part of the maturity,” Jennings said. “Right now, their mind-set is they need to hit and put up numbers to stay here. Now they realize they have the ability to play here, and the thought process has got to be, ‘I’m going to hit until it’s not a strike.’ And I think our ability to identify that, have a little more awareness in the strike zone, is going to help these guys have better numbers. That will come over time.”

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